Teacher pool remains shallow

WASHINGTON (AP) -- What do waiters, actresses, writers, a butcher, a flower shop clerk and a Navy chaplain have in common?

Martha Powell has hired them all.

"They're really coming to us from all walks," said Powell, principal of an elementary school in a working-class Los Angeles neighborhood.

Powell and others say there's no shortage of smart, young people who want to be teachers. But as school populations grow nationwide, school districts -- especially in big cities -- are struggling to find ways to lure new teachers and keep them there.

Taking a page from business, school districts are offering signing bonuses, housing allowances, health club memberships -- even tax breaks. A few school districts, such as Chicago, offer special visas to attract international candidates.

But the problem of too many students and not enough teachers persists.

Shortage adds up

U.S. Census data show a rising tide of school enrollment -- a record 49 million students this year -- that is due to grow over the next four years before leveling off. Meanwhile, the bulk of the nation's teaching force is nearing retirement age, with most teachers in their mid-40s to early 50s.

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A recent survey by Education Week showed that about 20 percent of new teachers leave the classroom after three years, while 50 percent quit teaching after five years. Education Department estimates show that public schools must hire as many as 2.7 million new teachers by 2009.

The problem isn't as acute in many suburban areas, where shortages exist mainly for out-of-the-ordinary subjects, such as advanced mathematics, special education and foreign languages.

By contrast, most big cities need teachers of all types.

Urban woes

A January 2000 report issued by Recruiting New Teachers, a nationwide teacher recruiting agency based in Boston, found that nearly all major urban school districts urgently need teachers in at least one subject area, with more crucial needs in specialty areas. The report also said 60 percent of urban districts, such as Los Angeles, allow non-certified teachers in the classroom under emergency licenses, and hire long-term substitute teachers.

"There are loads of people who would like to go into this profession if we just identify them, treat them with respect and give them the resources that they need to qualify to become teachers," said Recruiting New Teachers CEO Mildred Hudson.

Of the estimated 6 million people in the United States with teaching backgrounds or credentials, only 3 million are actually teaching, said Tom Loveless of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution.

Loveless and others gathered Tuesday in Washington for a forum on urban teacher shortages, with a focus on attracting potential teachers to where they're most urgently needed.

Inventing incentives

States and school districts nationwide are rushing to find new teachers, offering $2,000 or more in signing bonuses and even more to cover moving costs, plus hundreds of dollars teachers can spend on classroom supplies.

States are awarding scholarships to education majors who agree to teach in low-income areas, adding low-cost rental housing, affordable mortgages and financial aid for graduate-level tuition at state universities.

One program at California State University allows prospective teachers to take evening, weekend, Internet and summer classes to earn a teaching certificate while employed elsewhere. California, which in 1996 mandated smaller class sizes in lower elementary grades, needs about 300,000 new teachers over the next decade, or about as many as are teaching now.

While low salaries often drive young teachers to other professions, many leave teaching because they're unprepared for the workload or don't get enough mentoring from experienced teachers, said Carlos Ponce, head of human resources for public schools in Chicago, Illinois.

"If they don't feel that their principal is working for them and with them, they're apt to leave the system," he said. "They feel as if they're being forced out."

Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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